Thandai sherbat with homemade masala

Thandai sherbat with homemade masala is that essential drink that every Indian loves to enjoy during Holi and other festive occasions. Made of dry fruits, saffron, rose petals this masala takes a mere 5 minutes to make and is 10 times better than the store bought syrups. Thandai sherbat or Indian spiced milk is inherently cooling and perfect for the season.

We are having a color crazy moment at the house. The typical preparations for Holi have already begun and we are elbow deep in colors. Come spring India gets a makeover and starts preparing for Holi. With the onset of Holi, the summer season is also in full swing in India. And we all know waht a scorcher that can be. While air conditioners and ice creams become the reason for existence in these months, as Indians we also devise our own ways of cooling off. Namely, aam panna (raw mango sherbat, spiced buttermilk (chaas), rose lassi,peach lassiand this thandai sherbat with homemade masala.

Thandai as the name itself suggests comes from the word “thanda” aka cool. Made of dry fruits like almonds, cashews and pictachios, along with poppy seeds, watermelon and musk melon seeds this masala is then ground with pre soaked saffron and rose petals to give it its distinctive color and taste. The resulting masala is usually ground in an old school stone mortar and pestle, although you can grind it just like I do. The thandai masala is then cooked into some milk thinned with water or traditionally even with fruit juices and served as the drink to have on Holi.

The fascination with thandai sherbat with homemade masala starts from Shivratri and goes on well after Holi. The inherently cooling properties of this drink make it a welcome sight in all parties. Especially when it is paired with bhang (cannabis). Although traditionally bhang was added to thandai sherbat with homemade masala, nowadays me and many like me,are opting for more familiar buzz thanks to gin, vodka or even white rum.

Served on a nicely decorated plate, this thandai sherbat with homemade masala (spiked or not, is totally upto you) is goign to put you on a pedastal. Mostly coz it tastes ten times better than the ones made with ready made thandai syrup. Trust me when I say this coz I have had both and having tasted the real deal that thandai sherbat with homemade masala is , I can never imagine going back to the store bought ones again.

Lets bring out the gulaal my lovelies. Time to paint the town in what ever colour you fancy with this Thandai sherbat with homemade masala.

So this Holi, get ready to bring the house down with your favorite Bollywood songs, trademark aviator sunglasses and glass upon glass of this super cooling and so much fun thandai sherbat with homemade masala. May your lives be as colorful and joyous as the varied colors of Holi! Wishing everyone the best!

Xo,

S.

Print Recipe

Thandai sherbat and homemade masala

Thandai sherbat with homemade masala is that essential drink that every Indian loves to enjoy during Holi and other festive occasions. Made of dry fruits, saffron, rose petals this masala takes a mere 5 minutes to make and is 10 times better than the store bought syrups. Thandai sherbat or Indian spiced milk is inherently cooling and perfect for the season.

Presoak the saffron in 1 tsp of water for 30 mins.
Dry roast the cardamom, black peppercorns and fennel on a tawa on low heat. Remove and cool. Set aside.

Now add the saffron and rose petals to the all the ingredients and grind it all to a coarse powder. You can make it finer if you wish to, we love the slight bite of poppy in our masala.
Remove from the jar and spread open on a plate for 30 mins to sir it out.
Now store in an air tight container till needed. Keep well for 3 months.

For the Thandai Sherbat

In a sauce pan, add the milk , water and sugar. Measure and add the thandai masala and let it come to a boil. Then reduce flame and simmer for 10 mins.

Let it cool to room temperature. When cool enough, either strain the milk using a muslin cloth or leave it as it is, depending on how you like it.
Pour into a jug or glasses and chill in the fridge for atleast an hour before serving.
The drink is best served cold with extra ice cubes if desired.
We love ours garnished with rose petal, saffron and cardamom pods.

For the Thandai shot

Add 45 ml of gin/ vodka/ white rum to the thandai sherbat and serve chilled. You can rim the shot glasses with colorful sprinkles to give it a festive Holi vibe.

Thanks so much! The blue powder( and the others red, yellow and pink)are called abeer. It’s organic color made of fruits, flowers and vegetables. We color each other with these abeer on Holi. The point is to unify people from different strata coz everyone looks the same when coloured. Kind of increases communal brotherhood. And is super fun too